A Redheaded Dixon
by katie.pierce23
Summary: Daryl Dixon could never imagine how his life would change after rescuing a feisty redhead and her niece in the woods.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello beautiful readers!  
**_

_**Welcome to my fantasy world where I have input into what Daryl Dixon does on a regular basis- a place I'm sure all of us Daryl lovers wish we where. Normally I am both a Daryl and Deth shipper, but this story just took over and here we are! In all of my scribbles this is my favourite story thus far, and I hope you all enjoy it; I hope to update once a week. Please read and review! I would love to hear your feedback! **_

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**Chapter 1**

Kinley wiped the sweat off of her forehead before it could drip into her eyes. The heat was unbearable already, the sun had not yet fully risen, and they had a long way yet to travel before reaching the next town where she hoped to find a place of safety for at least a few nights. She adjusted the carrier on her back as gently as possible, not wanting to wake up the sleeping child it held.

"Hang in there baby, we'll find water soon."

She continued walking, ignoring that her limbs now ached and shook with every movement, and that her head was pounding with intensity she had never experienced before. She had not had much to drink in two days, as she had been giving it to the child, hoping it would tide her over until they next found food. Kinley continued to move north, heading towards the lake she had spied while on top of a hill miles away.

The trek continued on for hours, and Kinley was starting to see spots in her vision, and each step was becoming harder when she heard twigs snapping through the trees to her right. Adrenaline soaring, she pulled a large knife out of her belt and braced herself, praying that if it was a Walker, that it would be alone and that she would have enough strength to fight it off. When the sounds stopped, she shrugged off the carrier and carefully placed it up in a tree, high enough that to get it down you would have to climb, something she hoped no walkers would figure out if a herd were headed their way. She was thankful that the child was sleeping soundly, and did not make a sound.

Daryl remained crouching in the bushes, watching the human with the impressive knife place a bag up in a tree. He was currently on scouting duty, keeping an eye out for any animals they could eat, or any wanderers, living or dead that could be potential problems for their group. The person wore a large ball cap, the shadow obscuring their face. Their height made him guess it was a woman. Female or not, she could be from a dangerous camp like the Governor's camp, and she could be spying on them. When he didn't make another sound, he saw her relax her stance and lower the knife, which was when he silently stood, crossbow raised and pointing at her.

"Drop the knife, or I shoot you."

Kinley slowly turned, heart racing as she heard the southern accent behind her. She lowered the knife, but did not drop it. A man glared at her over his crossbow, and she quickly took in his appearance; average height, with impressive bare biceps, shaggy brown hair and dangerous blue eyes. She did not doubt for a moment that he would shoot first, ask questions later. As she stood trembling, unsure of what to do, a walker suddenly appeared behind him and without hesitation she threw the knife at the walker, hitting it squarely between the eyes. As she did, a shot rang out, and Kinley felt a searing pain through her shoulder and dropped to her knees.

When Daryl saw her throw the knife he moved to the side, ready to shoot her, when he heard the knife make impact behind him and whirling he saw the walker fall to the group, knife imbedded into its brain. A shot rang out and he turned again to see blood pouring down the woman's arm, as Shane raced into the clearing.

"What'd you shoot her for?" He cursed at Shane and slowly walked towards the woman, bow ready, eyes scanning the trees for any more walkers.

"I thought she was trying to kill you!" Shane cursed and approached the woman cautiously. "Who are you?"

Kinley felt herself slipping into unconsciousness as the pain and dehydration was sending her body into shock. She struggled to her feet and promptly fell back to her knees, and began to crawl towards the tree where her bag remained. A gun was suddenly pressed to the back of her head and she heard the second man speaking again. "Tell us who you are and what you're doing here or I'll shoot you."

"You already did shoot her." Daryl spit at Shane and lowered his bow. "She can't even stand up, leave her be." He glanced up at the bag and moved towards the tree, intending to get it down for the woman. As he jumped into the tree to get it down, the woman seemed to come back to her senses and with a strength he wouldn't have expected, she pushed herself to her feet and tried to pull him away from the bag. Shane roughly hauled her back and threw her to the ground, holding her down with his foot and kept his gun pointed at her head.

"Check what's in the bag, it must be valuable supplies."

"No, please!" Kinley tried to raise her torso off the ground, but was pushed back down by the rough man's foot crushing her ribs.

Muttering to himself Daryl removed the vinyl cover from the top of the bag and swore when he saw the little girl inside. He gently brought the bag back down and gave Shane a look that could kill. "Piss off Shane, it's a kid."

The man called Shane removed his foot from her and Kinley struggled to sit up and reached for the child who was beginning to wake up with the shouting. "She yours?"

"My niece, please don't hurt her."

"I don't hurt kids lady." Daryl handed her the little girl who stared up at him with large blue eyes. He knelt down a small distance away from them as to not spook the woman or make the kid cry as Shane paced restlessly behind them.

"You gonna tell us where you're from?"

"I'm from whatever is left of Toronto." Both men stopped and stared at her in shock.

"Canada? Aren't you a little bit lost?"

"I'd hoped the outbreak wouldn't be so bad here." Kinley struggled to stay conscious.

"Anyone else wit' you?"

"We're all that's left of our group." Daryl noticed her body trembling and that she was beginning to sway. "Please, we just need some place safe, just for the night."

"We don't take in strays." Shane growled behind them and Kinley turned to him frantic.

"Please! Just one night!"

"No."

Kinley struggled to her feet and held out the little girl to Shane. "At least take her, she's still a baby, she doesn't deserve to die out here!" Shane pushed her away from him and she stumbled back to the ground, causing the child to begin to cry. Daryl swore and shoved Shane away from them.

"What's wrong wit' you?"

"They're two more mouths to feed!"

"Well maybe you can stay out here and fend for yourself, and we'll take them. They'd both still eat less than you do."

"The answer is no."

"We're takin' 'em with us."

"Over my dead body." Daryl punched Shane in the nose and knocked the gun out of his hand and pocketed it.

"That can be arranged." He hooked an arm around the woman's waist, and hoisted her up, supporting her as she quieted the little girl. Noting her arms were shaking and that she was about to drop the little girl, he placed the bag back over his own shoulders and began half dragging, half carrying her towards their camp, stopping only to let her retrieve her knife from the walker's head. "That was a nice hit." He thought he saw a flash of teeth and wondered if she smiled at him, but her head was down, once again hiding her features. Beneath his hand he could count her ribs, and feel her spine against his arm. The child was small and looked feverish, but was not starved like this woman was. "Have you been feeding her and not taking anything yourself?"

"She's all I have left."

The rest of their walk was silent, and just as Daryl's grip was getting difficult to maintain due to the blood dripping down her arm, they reached the camp, and the group swarmed towards him.

"Daryl, what happened?" The 'leader' of their group, Rick took in the situation and noted Shane walking several yards behind them.

"Found this girl and her niece in the woods. She killed a walker, and Shane shot her." It was then that Kinley passed out and sagged in his arms. Daryl swung her into his arms bridal style and carried her into the RV where Hershel and Carol immediately began to fuss over her. Lori lifted the crying little girl out of the carrier and tried to calm her down.

"Her arm will definitely need stitching." Hershel pulled off the woman's hat and Daryl swallowed as her face and hair was revealed. Long bright red locks fell out across the pillow and fanned around a shockingly beautiful face. Though pale and rather dirty from sweat and traveling, smooth pale skin covered high cheekbones and delicate features that were splattered with freckles. She had full lips that were drawn into an unconscious grimace, frozen in pain. Hershel continued to examine her and frowned. "Obvious extreme dehydration, heat stroke, exhaustion. I'm guessing she hasn't ate or drank in some time." He felt her forehead and checked her pulse. "She has a bit of a fever, someone grab some bowls of water and cloths and we'll get her cooled down."

He moved on and checked out the little girl, who was obviously fascinated by his beard. "Aren't you the sweetest thing?" Lori held her and the little girl eagerly drank water they held up to her in a small glass.

"I'm guessing she's around 2." Lori felt her forehead. "She feels warm too, but seems quite healthy, especially in comparison."

"I think the woman gave her any food or water they had and didn't keep any for herself." Daryl glanced down at the woman again and found himself rather mesmerized. He was snapped out of his trance when Rick returned with cold water and cloths and shoved it into his hands. "What am I 'sposed to do with this?"

"Cool her down. I am going to deal with Shane."

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Daryl, please don't pitch a fit right now."

Sighing, Daryl took his crossbow off of his back and hesitantly began to pat the damp washcloth across her forehead and down her cheeks and neck as Hershel began to stitch her arm. She remained unconscious, though he could see her eyes rapidly moving behind the lids.

"Where is she from?"

"Canada."

Hershel and Lori both paused in their actions and looked over at him in shock. "How on earth is she still alive?" Lori set the little girl on the floor of the RV and began to unlace the woman's shoes and the three adults all grimaced upon seeing the blood stained socks. Lori pulled off the socks and they looked down at the bloodied and blistered feet. Daryl silently passed the bowl of water and the cloth over to Lori who began to gently wipe off the feet.

"Her arm should heal well as long as it doesn't become infected." Hershel then gently picked up the child and set her on the table next to the woman and helped her drink more water. After drinking she stared up at Daryl with large blue eyes and did not drop his gaze.

"I think you have a new friend Daryl." Lori's smile froze when Daryl scowled at her comment.

"She can find someone else to stare at, I got no time for any other little girls that are going to go and get themselves killed." At this Daryl stomped out of the RV, slamming the door behind him and breathing deeply, his mind consumed with the memory of Sophia staggering towards their group, her zombie eyes not seeing them, only potential meals. He stomped off to his tent and flopped down angrily on his sleeping bag. As he laid in his tent, he swore remembering his cross bow was still in the RV, rendering him unable to go off hunting without having to retrieve it and see the little girl again. He rolled over and dozed off, not waking until he heard Rick calling his name from outside the tent as the sun was beginning to rise the following morning.

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**_Teaser for Chapter 2:_**

"Daryl?"

He reluctantly looked over at her, his body tense as he was hyper-aware of her being so close to him. She smelled like sweat and pine needles, and strangely like peppermint.

"What?" He noted her smile waned slightly at his gruff tone, her clear green eyes scanning his face. She was beautiful and it unnerved him.

"I just wanted to thank you. Lena and I would be in a very rough place if you hadn't of brought us back here." She gently touched his arm, sending a shiver down his spine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter 2! :) I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this story!**

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"What do you want?"

"I'm driving back to the highway to pick through the cars again. Do you want to come?"

Daryl exited and tent and was pleased when Rick held his crossbow out to him. The two men traveled in silence as Rick drove his truck back to the interstate. Rick only spoke when he turned the truck off and they were about to climb out. "Sophia's death wasn't your fault. If anyone was to blame, it was me, and you need to accept that."

"Your wife been running off her mouth?"

"That woman and little girl would probably be dead soon if you hadn't of found them."

Daryl huffed and quickly climbed out of the car, crossbow ready and unwilling to talk anymore as they began to search the cars for anything of value. The men collected several piles of clothing, Tylenol, blankets, and a few bottles of water and Rick was pleased to find a bulk package of Kraft Dinner.

"Have you thought about what we're gonna do when we run outta food around here?" He stared out the passenger window, recalling how it was getting harder every day to find even squirrels to shoot.

"I'll admit that I have been worrying about that quite a bit lately." Rick paused. "I was actually going to bring it up to everyone at lunchtime."

"Alright then."

The men were happily greeted by the group, who quickly poured over the clothing, finding items that would fit while Carol and Lori began to cook up a few boxes of Kraft Dinner.

Daryl sat on the log, enjoying food other than squirrel meat when he noted Shane stiffen and look uncomfortable as he stared at something or someone behind Daryl. Turning, he saw Hershel walking slowly beside the red haired woman as she carried the little girl. The group all smiled warmly at them as they approached. Quickly glancing around the circle, Daryl groaned as he realized the log he was sitting on had the only other vacant spot for her to sit.

"Everyone, this is Kinley and her niece Lena." Hershel introduced the rest of the group and Daryl noted her dark expression when Shane's name was said. "And you probably remember Daryl Dixon from yesterday."

Kinley focused her attention on the scruffy man who seemed reluctant to make eye contact with her. "The man who saved us." As she spoke his blue eyes darted up to her face quickly before shifting back down to his bowl of pasta and he rapidly shoved noodles into his mouth to avoid speaking. Kinley carefully sat on the log next to him, moving slowly as her body ached and gratefully took two bowls of pasta from Lori and began to feed Lena.

"Yummy." Kinley noted out of the corner of her eye that as Lena spoke, Daryl's head whipped around as he began to watch them.

"Yes, it is very yummy. Keep eating sweetie." After Lena had ate a whole bowl, talking away in her toddler mash up of words Kinley set Lena on the grass in front of her and began to eat her own food. After a few bites she was full to the point of nausea and she glanced over at Daryl's bowl that had been scrapped clean.

"Daryl?"

He reluctantly looked over at her, his body tense as he was hyperaware of her being so close to him. She smelled like sweat and pine needles, and strangely like peppermint.

"What?" He noted her smile waned slightly at his gruff tone, her clear green eyes scanning his face. She was beautiful and it unnerved him.

"I just wanted to thank you. Lena and I would be in a very rough place if you hadn't of brought us back here." She gently touched his arm, sending a shiver down his spine.

"It's no big deal." He glanced down at her barely touched food. "You should eat more."

"I'm full at the moment. Would you like to finish it?" Kinley felt her cheeks redden as he stared unblinkingly down at her, his blue eyes intense. She looked down at her lap and chewed on her lip, unsure of how to act around this mysterious man. After a moment he shrugged and rapidly finished her portion. Just as he finished the little girl suddenly stood and walked over to him and reached her little arms up to him.

"She must really like you, she normally doesn't like to go near strangers." Kinley smiled warmly at him. "I'm sorry if she's bothering you." She moved to stand to retrieve Lena when Daryl shook his head and picked Lena up and sat her on his knee carefully as if she would break.

"It's fine." He smiled down at the little girl who immediately began to play with the buttons on his shirt, content to be held on his lap. "Her name is Lena?"

"Yes."

"How old?"

"She'll be 2 in July. I'm not sure if we've passed July yet or not."

"I'm guessing by the heat we're getting close to July."

Daryl glanced at her as she was staring across at Shane with a somewhat fearful expression, as Shane was preoccupied with cleaning a gun. He was able to study her as she was focused on Shane. She was painfully thin, looked exhausted and very pale, though she maintained her striking appearance. He noted that she was barefoot, and now that her feet were clean he saw that her feet were somewhat swollen and badly bloodied and blistered. As she stared at Shane she chewed on already short fingernails.

"They look painful." He nodded his head down at her feet as she turned her attention back to him.

"They're alright. My shoes were a size too small so they rubbed a bit that's all."

"Why were you wearing shoes that were too small?"

"When we left I didn't have shoes on, so I grabbed the first pair I could find out of the back of someone's car." She attempted a smile back up at him. "I didn't have time to be picky."

"What size would you normally wear?"

She looked up at quizzically before answering. "Seven."

Rick cleared his throat loudly and the group all stopped their conversations and looked over at him. "I've been thinking about what we should do next for a little while now, and I think our best option is to continue to put as much distance as possible between us and the prison, and find a small town that we could set up a fence around and make ourselves a permanent home and start fresh. What do ya'll think?"

"I think we need more people on our side before we do anything like that." Shane spoke up, irritation flashing across his face.

"What do you mean _our side_?" The blonde woman who spoke Kinley recalled being Andrea. Her voice was strong, and Kinley did not doubt she was willing to put up a good argument.

"We were easily overtaken at the prison and we barely escaped with our lives because there's so few of us. If we're going to do something as crazy as attempt to make up our own permanent residence that's going to take a lot of man power to do the clean up, kill any walkers that approach, and attempt to build a wall strong enough to keep anyone or anything out."

"Yesterday you were worried about having too many mouths to feed, now you want more?" Daryl glared across at the dark haired man and heard Kinley take in a deep breath beside him.

"It's different if we're settling down in a town."

Rick spoke up quickly to end the brewing argument between them. "I understand what you're saying Shane, but where are we going to find people to join us that we can trust?"

"There has to be more people somewhere, surviving just like we are." A younger woman named Maggie spoke.

"We should scout out any farms. If there's still livestock around, there's going to be a family still living there. If we could convince them to join us, we would also have the benefit of livestock. We can start traveling and scout out as we go." Hershel sighed and wearily rubbed his hands across his face. "We need to start planning for the time when we also run out of fuel for our vehicles, and when the wildlife has been consumed or scared off. We need to find somewhere with good soil and try to plant crops. We need horses, for traveling and dairy cows for milk or meat."

"Kinley, did you pass by any farms as you were travelling?"

"I've been coming straight south and haven't left the woods more than a few times unless absolutely necessary. I may have passed by farms without realizing."

"How's a girl like you even know you were going south?" Shane snarled at her and Kinley stared at him in shock for a moment before feeling her temper rise.

"Because I have a compass."

"Shane, what is your problem?" Glenn, who Kinley noted had an arm wrapped around Maggie, suddenly spoke, heightening the tension.

"My problem is this group that's been together for a long time now so easily and stupidly takes in strays without getting a group consensus, or thinking about any potential consequences. Now we're going to be slowed down even more by some woman that can barely stand and obviously can't fend for herself by the looks of her, and a baby that won't know how to be quiet if a herd of walkers goes by, requires constant supervision, and is likely to get sick." By the end of his speech he was yelling and tendons were standing out in his neck.

Kinley's hand automatically reached to her hip where she normally had her knife and she cursed as her hand grasped at nothing as Lori had helped her change into fresh clothing before exiting the RV.

"Shane you are way out of line." Lori raised her voice slightly.

"She's obviously more of a survivor than you are Shane, walking here all the way from Canada with a kid." Andrea spoke up again.

"Everyone just calm down!" Rick, who seemed to be the unspoken leader, and most even tempered man of the group, raised his hands and stood. "How about everyone just take a breather and think about if they want to find others and set up a permanent home or not, and we can talk more about it tonight. Shane can I talk to you?"

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**Thank you for reading lovelies! **

**Preview for Chapter 3 :)**

"Please don't tell anyone, but I'm pregnant."

**Hmm...I wonder who could be pregnant! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello lovelies! I hope you've all had wonderful weekends and are getting geared up for the Mid-Season Finale tomorrow night! Anyone else as nervous as I am? I'm ready to pee myself hoping Hershel doesn't get killed off- I just love him!**

As always, thank you so much for reading! I'm still in shock that people have read, reviewed, favourited or followed anything that I have written, and it never fails to bring a huge smile to my face! So much love to the two Guests who left such lovely reviews, and a special shout out to PtiteMeve, who left a review- my very first review, so you will always be so very special! :)

**In another piece I am working on, I had a Guest review my work and provided me with the input that my characters are too unrealistic, and that I am just trying to insert my own perfect characters into a storyline. I really hope that you don't kind Kinley or Lena too 'perfect', I'm certainly trying to show that throughout their character development- they have not as positive aspects to their personality as well. Any thoughts on that? I certainly don't want to be writing someone who seems fake. **

**Enough rambling from me! Enjoy Chapter Three! (Did you enjoy that rhyme?...My gosh I need to find a job LOL) **

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The group dispersed, Shane and Rick walking off quite a distance, leaving Kinley sitting shocked on the log with Daryl who was bouncing Lena on his knee.

"Maybe we should go." Kinley reached for Lena, but Daryl just shook his head at her.

"Ignore Shane, he's an idiot and likes to shoot his mouth off. He's been getting crazier every day."

"I don't want to be a burden or cause any trouble."

"You aint, so relax." Daryl thought he saw tears in her eyes and he softened his harsh tone. "Besides, it was getting boring with all the same people here, it's good to have some new blood."

Kinley blinked away her tears, hating that she was emotional enough to let Shane's words affect her. She stared at Lena who was pulling on Daryl's hair so hard it must have hurt, though he didn't flinch. "Lena, don't pull his hair, that's not nice."

"Sawry." Daryl smirked down at the toddler on his lap.

"No problem girl." He glanced over at Kinley who was staring at Lena with both affection and sadness. "She knows quite a few words."

"She's extremely intelligent. I'd try to talk to her and teach her new words and such as we travelled, but I'm afraid she hasn't learned as much as she should in comparison to others her age. I hope she's not behind in her development."

Daryl rolled his eyes at her. "I don't think you need to worry about her knowing all her letters for school and all that." He was pleased when Kinley laughed quietly.

"I know, but I worry about how her learning has probably been hindered. I don't want her to be upset with me when she's older if she finds it more difficult to read than she should or something like that."

"I think she'll be happy you kept her alive. Besides, she's only two, she can't read yet anyways."

"Kinley,"

They looked up as Lori smiled down at them. "Did you still want me to take you down to the lake?"

"Oh that would be perfect."

Lori suddenly held up something square and white, smiling broadly. "I thought you also might want this, I'm guessing you haven't had any of this in quite some time."

Kinley felt her mouth drop open. "Is that soap?" Lori nodded and she sighed happily. "This might just be the best day ever."

"Why are you women always so worried with being clean all the time?"

"Maybe you should try it sometime Daryl and then you'll understand." Lori smirked down at him and helped Kinley to stand and paused looking down at her feet. "It's a bit of a walk down the hill."

Kinley also looked down at her feet. "I'll be fine."

"I don't want those to get any more cuts or blisters or any kind of infection. Daryl would you help us?" Daryl glared at Lori, knowing full well what she was doing as she tried to hide her smile. As stand offish as he tried to remain with the group, he had grown closest with Rick and his wife Lori, and Lori had been hinting for some time that perhaps Daryl would be happier if he had a female companion, and had tried without success to push him into the arms of either Carol or Andrea. Lori happily took Lena from him and began to walk down towards the lake, as Kinley began to protest in earnest as she realized that Lori wanted him to carry her down.

"Well, come on then." He moved towards her and stopped as she backed away from him like a skittish wild animal, her cheeks red and her eyes darting around looking for an escape.

Kinley looked around the camp frantically wondering how she could get out of this situation. Though she was 27 years of age, she remained, as she was as an awkward teenager, rather shy around men, especially men in close proximity to her when she smelled awful. Even more so with mysterious, attractive southern men, or more specifically the one who was looking at her with an exasperated expression. "I can walk by myself."

"You can barely stand." Daryl moved a step towards her and she took a tiny step backwards again, unable to hide her wince as her bare feet hit the ground. "Come on, don't be stupid."

"No, I'm heavy and I smell." She didn't have a chance to escape when Daryl apparently lost patience with her and lunged, scooping her into his arms.

"You weigh less than a sack of potatoes, and everyone smells, who cares?" He hoisted her up higher as she kicked her legs and she frantically wrapped an arm around his neck, hanging on tightly. Daryl easily carried her down to the lake where Lori was waiting for them with a bright smile on her face.

"Thank you." Kinley avoided his gaze as he set her down gently on her feet.

"Do you have a gun down here with you?"

"No, I gave mine to T. Dawg while he's on watch."

Daryl muttered something to himself too low for Kinley or Lori to hear and he scowled at them. "I'll come back down with my bow so you three don't get yourselves killed." He walked back up the hill quickly.

Lori immediately began pulling off her clothes and Kinley averted her eyes. Noticing, Lori began to laugh. "The women are just so used to bathing down here together we've lost all modesty and privacy. You'll get used to it." She stepped down into the water and glanced back at Kinley. "You might want to hurry if you don't want Daryl to see you naked."

Now rushing, Kinley stripped herself and Lena of their clothing and hurried into the water. The women laughed together and Kinley relished in the feeling of the soap. She quickly scrubbed herself down and held Lena as Lori helped her wash her hair with the soap and untangle the long strands with her fingers.

"Your hair is so beautiful."

"It's a mess is what it is."

"The women here all cut off their hair one night. Every day since I've missed mine."

Kinley looked back at Lori whose hair reached her chin. "I think it still looks beautiful." Kinley let Lori hold Lena as Lena happily splashed in the water. Glancing back up at the shore she noticed Daryl standing with his back to them, crossbow out and ready. "I didn't mean to create tension or conflict within the group by coming here. Lena and I can leave as soon as possible."

"Kinley, don't say or think that ever again."

"But Shane,"

"Forget anything that Shane said. He hasn't been himself for quite sometime now, his mind hasn't been…stable for several months, especially after we lost the prison."

"What happened at this prison?"

"We had been traveling as a group for quite some time, when we stumbled onto the prison. We thought it would be perfect, it was walled in, which helped keep out the walkers, it had running water for drinking, showers, laundry, electricity, everyone had their own area in the cells, we thought we were finally having some good luck." Lori paused and stared off across the lake. "Then we had a run in with another group of survivors, led by a terrible man. Most of us barely escaped with our lives. Daryl's older brother Merle was killed as well as Hershel's younger daughter Beth. Glenn and Daryl were both badly beaten, and Maggie was assaulted."

Kinley felt her eyes fill with tears. "I'm so sorry."

"It was awful, but we escaped, regrouped, and healed, and we're more determined to survive than ever."

"I can't even imagine."

"Rick and I were talking last night, and we're already glad that you and Lena are here with us. We've been out of the prison for about a month now, and today is the first time I've seen Daryl smile or speak since Merle died. Lena is so adorable, the whole group loves her already, even Carol is coming to life at the thought of a little one to look after."

"Does she really like kids?"

"She had a daughter who was bit. Rick had to shoot her and I don't think he's ever going to forgive himself. Daryl too, he searched for her more than anyone."

Kinley took Lena from Lori and held her tightly until Lena began to squirm. "I can't even imagine that pain. The thought of losing Lena makes me want to just quit." They laughed as Lena began to practice a variety of animal sounds. "Life is definitely harder with a child, but I wouldn't change it for anything."

"How long have you been looking after her yourself?"

"I would guess it's been a few months now."

"So you didn't have her when she was an infant?"

"No," Kinley studied Lori's face as Lori stared intently at Lena.

"It may seem strange, especially with today being our first day together, but I want to tell you something…I think it would be comforting to just have someone else know."

"Okay,"

"Please don't tell anyone, but I'm pregnant." Lori's expression was a mixture of pure joy and undiluted fear.

"Oh Lori," Kinley bit her lip, unsure of what to say. "Are you happy? Should I be saying congratulations?"

"I'm terrified. Rick and I tried for years to have a second child, but to have one now, I don't even know what to think."

Kinley moved forward and squeezed Lori's arm. "It will be more difficult than it would have been before, but I think you can do it. From what I can tell of this group, everyone is going to want to help you in any way possible."

"I am four months along, and I'm guessing I'll start showing very soon, so I'm going to have to tell Rick."

"He doesn't know?"

"Well, I wasn't completely sure at first, and then he has been under so much pressure, I didn't want to add to his stress load."

"It could cause him more stress, but it could also bring him a lot of joy and give him something to look forward to." Kinley smiled warmly and Lori's eyes filled with happy tears.

"You're right. I definitely need to tell him soon."

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**Preview for Chapter 4:**

"Just some rest and a break from the sun. Come on, we can both fit on this bed."

**Someone is sharing a bed! Woo hoo! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my lovelies and happy December! Are you all still in shock over the Fall Finale? I'm going into withdrawals after not having an episode to watch last night!**

**Here is another chapter for you all- hope you enjoy! As always, I would love to hear your thoughts! :)**

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Standing on the shore, Daryl felt his patience completely run out as he waited, guarding the women. Knowing that there were two naked, attractive women in the water right behind him was a strange enough thought to grasp, but they were taking their sweet time, their voices and laughter gently drifting back to him over the water. He shifted his weight from side to side, growing antsy. Finally he turned around and yelled. "Are you having a tea party or getting clean?" His eyes zeroed in on Kinley, just her pale shoulders visible above the water, her collarbones sharply jutted through her skin, the water droplets glistened in the sun, and her long hair was floating out around her.

"Sorry Daryl, turn around and we'll get out." Lori called back to him and he hastily turned his back to the women as they emerged from the water and quickly dressed behind him. "Alright, we're decent." He turned around and silently waited for the women as they tried to ring out the water from Kinley's hair and they let Lena run around without her clothes on.

"I know I can't let her run around naked, but I don't want to put these dirty clothes back on her. I know my own are awful, but it would be nice to at least keep her as clean as possible."

"We can wash them up right now, and they'll dry quickly in this heat." Lori took the bar of soap and began washing Lena's clothing with gusto. "If there are any extra clothes, like a t-shirt, she could use something like that as a dress too. I'm not sure what we'll do come winter time, we left any warm clothing we had back at the prison."

Kinley quickly glanced over at Daryl when Lori mentioned the prison and she saw a muscle tick in his jaw and his shoulders stiffen. "Thanks for waiting for us Daryl, I'm sorry we took so long." She smiled over at him.

"Whatever." He shrugged and wandered far enough away from them they he wouldn't be included in a conversation.

"Don't take any of Daryl's mood swings personally. He'll catch himself being nice, getting attached or caring and he'll try to abruptly pull away for a little bit." Lori spoke softly.

"That's fine. I understand how it's dangerous to get attached to people during times like this." Kinley sat back down on the ground as her feet began to throb and she watched Lena, smiling as she ran around the beach laughing and singing, the happiest and cleanest Kinley had seen her in some time.

"Auntie Kinny?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Daddy here?"

Kinley dropped the rock she had been admiring and froze looking up at Lena. "No, Daddy isn't here."

"Mama?"

"No sweetie, she's not here either."

The smile dropped from Lena's face and she continued with her game of throwing rocks into the water, the joyful expression gone from her face. Kinley swallowed the lump in her throat and rapidly blinked her eyes, coming out of the shock of hearing the question from Lena. They had been traveling for months, and Lena had not once asked where her parents were, or cried for them, perhaps sensing Kinley's fear and the need for silence as they traveled. Kinley jumped when Daryl suddenly sat down beside her.

"Could you be any quieter? You scared me half to death."

Daryl simply glanced over at her and then turned his attention back to the little girl. They sat in silence as Lena played and Lori scrubbed the clothes clean.

"Well these are as clean as I'll get them. Should we head back? Kinley you and Lena both seem like you need a rest and another large drink."

"I'm fine Lori, I'd really like to start helping out in any way possible."

"Your body is exhausted, you're still half starved and very dehydrated. You're not going to be of any help if you pass out or get sick. How are your stitches?"

"Good, and now very clean. Hershel did an amazing job." Kinley began to limp towards Lena to pick her up when strong arms lifted her off the ground. She bit back a shriek and clung to her carrier frantically. "Daryl! Stop scaring me and put me down!"

"Quit your fussing." Daryl waited for Lori to pick up Lena and the four of them made the walk back to the camp. Carol begged Kinley for playtime with Lena and Daryl carried Kinley back into the RV despite her protests.

"Daryl, I'm not tired, I don't need a rest." Kinley crossed her arms and glared at him as they stood inside the RV.

"Drink." He held a water bottle out to her and made her drink all of it before he was satisfied. "Now lie down and rest. If I see you even trying to sneak out of here I'll just drag you right back and lock you in." He smirked as she glared up at him, eyes flashing.

"You don't get to boss me around."

"I'll watch her Daryl, I'm going to lie down in here for a bit too." Lori stepped into the RV and Daryl nodded and quickly left, slamming the door behind him. "Please rest Kinley. You had a fever yesterday and have a long way to go before you're fully healthy. Besides, I'll sleep better if you're in here with me, and it gives me an excuse to rest as the others will think I'm keeping an eye on you without really knowing why I need a nap."

"Do you need anything?" Kinley pushed her own stubbornness aside and glanced down at Lori's still flat stomach.

"Just some rest and a break from the sun. Come on, we can both fit on this bed."

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**Another chapter down! Here's a preview for Chapter 5:**

"I know there's lots of room in that tent."

"Whose tent is that?"

"Mine." Kinley turned as Daryl spoke behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Much love to you readers! I've been rereading my work lately, and I am absolutely horrified by all the mistakes I have missed! So I apologize for that, and for the many mistakes to come! As always, I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! **

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Lori and Kinley both slept soundly for several hours before Rick woke them for supper. Exiting the RV Kinley smiled as Lena ran for her and snuggled into her neck and Carol approached her shyly. "Thank you so much for looking after her Carol, I appreciate it so much. I hope she behaved."

"She was perfect. Her clothes dried really well and I found a small woman's shirt that could easily be made into a dress for her."

"Thank you, that will be wonderful." Kinley shifted Lena in her arms. "Lena, what do you say to Carol for playing with you today?"

"Thank you." Lena smiled at Carol, showing all of her baby teeth. The women laughed and Kinley quickly fed Lena more food and held her as she immediately fell asleep.

"She must be tuckered out from her day." Hershel sat down next to her and Kinley smiled up at him.

"I think so. Swimming and a play date with Carol- she hasn't had this much fun or excitement in months."

"She's been a joy for all of us to watch playing today."

Kinley looked over at the white haired man. "Hershel, I can't thank you enough for your medical attention, it really means a lot."

"We've all become a family out here. It's good for us to look out for one another." Hershel's eyes shifted down to Lena who was fast asleep. "She reminds me of my daughter Beth who was killed. Full of life."

"I'm so sorry for your loss Hershel."

"We've all lost family out here." Hershel cleared his throat. "How are those stitches?"

"Good."

"And you've drank lots today? And have ate?"

"I drank a bottle and had some Kraft Dinner."

Hershel frowned and immediately passed her another bottle of water and scooped her out a bowl of stew. Kinley ate a few bites and finished the water and looked back to Hershel. "Is that better?"

"It would be better if you could eat more, but I guess you have to work yourself back up to bigger portions."

"Yesterday when I arrived here, I had a knife with me, do you know where it went?" Kinley breathed a sigh of relief as Hershel produced it.

"I thought you might be wanting that back."

The rest of the evening passed quickly as Kinley spoke to most of the members of the group, and found she liked the majority of them immensely. Maggie and Glenn were young and sweet, and she was glad to find people close to her own age; Lori and Rick were calming and made her feel relaxed and welcome; Hershel was fatherly and caring; Carol was shy and quiet, though very sweet, and eager to help in any way possible with Lena; Andrea and T-Dawg were friendly, though both were more independent and standoffish from the rest of the group. Daryl kept his distance from her as he sat on a log, scanning the tree line, and Shane only glared at her from across the camp, causing a feeling of apprehension to settle into her stomach. Two people each night took turns sitting on top of the RV watching out for any Walkers that could approach. Shane and Andrea were on watch for the night and settled down in chairs atop the RV with rifles, flashlights and binoculars ready.

All was well until Hershel awkwardly approached her. "I'm not quite sure how to say this Kinley, but to put it bluntly, I'm afraid there's no room for you in the RV. Glenn and Maggie take one bed, I take the other, Carol sleeps on the table, and T-Dawg and Andrea camp out on the floor." He pulled at his beard, clearly stressed.

"That's alright Hershel, Lena and I are used to sleeping outside."

"Kinley, don't be ridiculous, you can't sleep outside." Lori spoke up and glanced around at the tents standing next to the RV. "Rick, Carl and I are squished already in our tent, that's Shane's tent, and I don't think that would be a good idea to put you in there." Lori trailed off as she stared at the third tent and suddenly smiled. "However, I know there's lots of room in that tent."

"Whose tent is that?"

"Mine." Kinley turned as Daryl spoke behind her. Lori and Kinley watched in tense silence as Daryl stalked towards his tent and unzipped it. "Well hurry up before bugs get in." Kinley rushed forward and grabbed Lena's carrier with one hand and brought it into the tent with her. She stood awkwardly leaning over with Lena in her arms as Daryl silently unrolled an extra sleeping bag for her and placed it on the ground as far away from his own sleeping bag as possible. By the time she had settled Lena into the sleeping bag, Daryl had settled into his own and was lying on his side, his back to her and Lena. Kinley opened up the pocket on Lena's carrier and quickly pulled out her most cherished possession, a tube of toothpaste. Squeezing some out onto her finger she ran the paste over her teeth and began to brush them as well as she could.

Curious as to what was causing the strange sounds, Daryl cautiously looked over his shoulder at her and stared at her in confusion as her finger was in her mouth, white bubbles covering it. He noticed her eyes crinkled up in amusement and she silently held out the tube of toothpaste to him. Not wasting time, he squeezed some out onto his own finger and began to clean his teeth; unable to remember the last time he had seen toothpaste. They both stuck their heads out of the tent and spit and Kinley turned and smiled widely at him.

"Where'd you find toothpaste?"

" I found a pharmacy and went in looking for any supplies we could take, just in case I was injured, or Lena became sick. Most of the shelves were picked clean of everything, but I found a few boxes of granola bars and three tubes of toothpaste."

"Were you one of those fancy dentists before everything happened?" Daryl noticed that her smile became more forced.

"I was a massage therapist. Not exactly a profession that has been helpful at the end of the world."

"Don't think there are many that would be helpful against walkers." Daryl watched her as she settled back into the sleeping bag and cuddled Lena up in her arms. "'Sides, I'm sure there's lotsa people here that would like one of those massages."

"What did you do before?" Daryl rubbed his chin, the constant feeling of inadequacy rearing its ugly head again.

"Didn't do much, fixed bikes at a shop for a little bit."

Kinley noted that he would not meet her eye and that he looked uncomfortable.

"Well the skills you have, have certainly kept this group alive and well. I am told without your mechanical knowledge and hunting and tracking abilities everyone would have been stranded or starving by now." She smiled warmly at him and hoped her words encouraged him. As he sat there looking vulnerable, she wondered what kind of childhood this man had had, why he was the way he was.

"Aint no big deal, everyone should learn how to hunt or shoot."

"I wish I knew how."

Daryl had turned to look at her when she began praising him, a warm feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. He raised a brow at her confession. "How have you been surviving? And you hit that walker behind me straight on." He frowned when he could see her cheeks colour in the fading light and she turned her head and looked at the ceiling of the tent.

"The knife I have had on me since we started running, and I've used it on walkers, but I've never killed an animal with it. Lena and I have been surviving on granola bars and whatever edible plants I have been able to find in the woods, or left over food we've found in houses or stores I've raided." Kinley glanced over at him, as he looked at her in disbelief. "I was actually a vegetarian before all of this." Kinley began to chew on her fingernails, unsure if she should tell him. "You should also know that I've never thrown my knife like that before, it was pure luck that it didn't hit you instead."

Daryl scoffed at her and looked at her intently. "You could have killed me." He settled down into his sleeping bag and frowned over at her.

"Well, guess we were both pretty lucky then."

"As soon as your arm is healed you're going to learn how to throw and shoot proper."

"How?"

"Shane usually teaches everyone, he used to be a cop with Rick."

Kinley did not reply, any desire she had to learn diminished at the thought of having to be near Shane. She quickly fell asleep in the tent, calmed by the steady breathing of Lena and Daryl.

Across the tent Daryl remained still until he heard Kinley's breathing even out in sleep and released a deep breath. Her smell of pine and mint, and the soap she had used earlier filled the tent and distracted him from sleep. He was uneasy with them being in his tent, not wanting to become attached to a woman or worse, a child- especially not after Sophia. _"Ah, but they've already weaseled their way in haven't they Daryl?"_ Telling his own conscience to shut up, he finally fell asleep.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Imagine sharing a tent with Daryl...swoon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize for the long wait! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!**

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Kinley woke early as Lena began to stir beside her and she was pleased that Daryl was still sleeping soundly. His face was the most relaxed she had seen it and she left the tent silently as possible, glad that she woke before Lena peed in his sleeping bag or began to talk and woke him.

Daryl woke as soon as Kinley crawled out of the sleeping bag, but he remained still and only peeked at her as she slowly and carefully unzipped the tent door and slipped out, closing it behind her. He smirked and shook his head as she was trying so hard not to wake him. After so long in this world, often sleeping outside and unprotected, he was used to snapping awake at the slightest of sounds. He waited for a little bit, stretching and getting his bow ready before exiting the tent. He spotted Kinley and Lena near the campfire, where Kinley was starting the fire and emptying some oats into a pot, starting breakfast. Lena saw him approaching and pointed, giving him a smile. Kinley turned and smiled brightly at him as she stirred the oats.

"Lena can you say good morning to Daryl?"

"Hi Dare."

He smiled brightly at the little girl. "Hey little one." He was surprised when she hurried over to him and reached her little arms up. Daryl immediately set down his bow and picked her up and twirled her around, as she giggled.

"Did you sleep alright with us in your tent?"

"Slept fine."

"Daryl." He looked up from playing with Lena as Kinley was suddenly touching his shoulder to get his attention. "You would tell me if you weren't okay with us staying with you right?"

"Quit worrying so much woman, if I didn't want you in the tent, I wouldn't have let you in last night."

"Well I really appreciate it, so thank you."

"Starting breakfast? We're going to have to keep you around." Andrea and Shane were coming down from the top of the RV and Andrea smiled tiredly at her.

"You might not say that after you taste it." Kinley smiled at Andrea and studiously ignored Shane who was standing too close to her, his height and bulging muscles intimidating.

"I'm sure it will be fine."

"See anything on watch last night?" Daryl felt himself bristling as Shane stood too close to Kinley, and he resisted the urge to push him away from her.

"Just a few coons."

"Sounds like supper to me." Daryl grinned.

"Raccoon?" Kinley took the oats off the fire and glanced over at Daryl, trying to keep the horror off of her face.

"You got a problem with that?" Shane growled at her.

"Shane, go sleep and stop being so miserable." Andrea snapped at him.

"I'm just asking a simple question. If our new camp member is too high class to eat coon. "

Daryl was about to put Lena down and punch Shane in the face when Andrea grabbed hold of Shane's shirt and pulled him with her into Shane's tent where they began to argue heatedly, though their volume remained low. He sat silently with Lena on his knee as Kinley spooned out a bowl for Lena. He gently took it from her, noticing her hands were shaking and began to feed Lena himself.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot."

"Don't say that word in front of Lena." She spoke more harshly than she intended, and caught herself and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No skin off my back." He gave her a half smile as she apologized and ducked her head down again and scooped out two more bowls for them. "This doesn't taste as disgusting as usual." He was pleased when Lena finished her entire bowl, and Kinley gave him a genuine smile.

"Remember porridge with brown sugar and milk?"

"Never tried it."

Kinley looked over at him as he carefully wiped food off of Lena's face. "Well, when the world becomes right again, I'll make you some."

"You think it's going to go back to the way it was?" He looked over at her in disbelief.

"No. But I have to cling to the hope that some things will be good again, otherwise I will lose hope."

They remained in comfortable silence as the rest of the group woke and thanked Kinley for the breakfast, and they all began their variety of tasks. Kinley was attempting to chop firewood while Lena was having a nap with Lori who was given strict instructions from a cheerful Rick to take a break as he discreetly rubbed Lori's stomach. Daryl scowled at her as blood was running down her arm from where she had split her stitches.

"What are you doing?" He took the axe from Kinley and glared at her as she tried to catch her breath, clearly exhausted and in pain.

"What's it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're being stupid."

Kinley took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "I wanted to do it."

"Sit down before you fall down. Hershel is going to kill you for ruining your stitches."

"No, I want to finish."

"I'll finish it. You're doing it wrong anyways." He scowled at her until she sat down and quickly chopped the wood.

Kinley took deep breaths to calm her heart rate and attempted to wipe off the blood running down her arm. Daryl chopped the wood with ease and precision, the muscle and tendons in his arms straining against the skin, and Kinley allowed herself the moment to stare at him while his attention was elsewhere. When he finished she stood and began to gather the pieces when his hand clamped around her arm, ignoring her protests and he pulled her along beside him to the edge of the woods and handed her a shotgun.

"You are so bossy and pushy!" Kinley frowned up at him, annoyed when he did not even bother to acknowledge her comment.

"I'm going to teach you how to shoot and track. It'll help get Shane off your back." Daryl waited as several emotions flashed across her face.

"But any loud noises attract walkers."

"Then you can practice shooting them."

"But what if there's too many? Or we get separated? Or one of us gets bit? And what if Lena wakes up before I get back and is scared?"

"Carol volunteered to watch her, and I'll have your back, we'll be fine."

"What exactly are we tracking?"

"Those coons, I was able to pick up their trail. If they're big, they'll have quite a bit of meat on them." Daryl sighed at the expression on her face. "You're not going to make a fuss about eating coons are you?"

"No." Kinley put the shotgun in the back of her pants and took out her knife, trying not to let the horror show on her face again. "Maybe you can track and kill the coons, and I could just cook them?"

Daryl stared at her. "Thought you said you weren't going to make a fuss about the coons." He huffed and crossed his arms, waiting her out. As he waited he managed to hold his tongue by admiring her features as she moved her green eyes about, clearly trying to come up with an excuse. "Well?"

"I'm not good with killing things, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm terrified of walkers."

"If you weren't scared of 'em, there'd be something wrong with you. 'Sides, yesterday you said you wanted to learn."

"The walker I threw my knife at, it's the first one I've successfully killed before." Kinley swallowed and felt her muscles tense as Daryl prowled towards her slowly, taking her stance in, knowing she was ready to bolt.

"How've you survived?"

"Well…I was traveling with another person for a period of time who was skilled with a gun and…killing things. When it was just Lena and I, I was able to use my knowledge of anatomy and if I could cut the walkers in the right location, it would slow them enough, or paralyze them and we could get away."

"Who was traveling with you?"

Daryl took in the strange expression that passed over her face- it was one that he had not seen on her face before.

"My brother, Lena's father." Kinley stared at the man in front of her as he studied her face. His expression softened some and he nodded and then gently tugged on her shirt.

"Well come on muscle slicing girl, you're about to get the full Dixon survival lesson."

"Am I really going to have to kill the coons?" Kinley tried to smile as he rolled his eyes at her.

"What is it with girls and animals?"

"It's their brown eyes and I don't want to hurt them."

Daryl grunted in exasperation and crouched down, scanning the ground, choosing to ignore her reasons. He began by teaching her basic tracking, pleased that she began to pick it up immediately. When he picked up the coons trail he followed it quickly, trying not to notice the death grip Kinley kept on her knife as she scanned for walkers as they went deeper into the woods. _"At least she doesn't make any noise when she walks,"_

He found the coons easily up in a tree, and shot both with his crossbow. As he picked them off of the ground and took out his knife to skin them he glanced over at Kinley who had not moved or made a sound since he shot the bow. She stood stiffly, scanning the trees around them, carefully avoiding looking at Daryl or the dead coons in front of him.

"I always shoot 'em in the head, so they don't feel pain."

"Fine."

"Are you going to come learn how to skin them?"

"No."

"You gonna just stand there and be a sissy girl?"

Kinley slowly turned on her heel and glared over at him, eyes flashing and cheeks bright red. "What did you just call me?"

"If you don't want me to call ya a sissy girl, don't act like one."

Kinley glanced down at the coons, whose faces were both towards her, their brown eyes still open, blood dripping from their mouths. Her anger faded as she transfixed on the brown eyes, open but unseeing. Images she never wished to think on came to mind and she felt bile rise in her throat and ran away a few steps and promptly threw up the porridge she had managed to eat for breakfast. She heard Daryl curse behind her as she coughed and spit and dropped to her knees as dizziness hit her.

"Alright?" She heard him take a few steps towards her and she held up a hand without turning around.

"Please just finish what you're doing so we can get back to the camp."

Daryl finished skinning and gutting the coons and wrapped them and placed them in the pack before he walked back over to Kinley.

"Lets go."

They walked back in silence, and upon arrival at the camp Daryl immediately unpacked the meat and set it over the fire to cook and watched as Kinley made her way back to the RV and quickly shut the door behind her.

"She didn't look good, looked all pale and sick like she did when she first arrived." Glen looked at Daryl, his question implied.

"She chucked up her breakfast." His tone did not invite further conversation and Glen wisely left him alone.

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**Would love to hear what you think! I tried to make this chapter longer since I made you guys wait so long for an update! **


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